An elderly couple was shocked by a brazen car thief who targeted them as they were leaving Chilliwack General Hospital Tuesday night.

The older gentleman was assisting his wife out of a wheelchair into the passenger seat of their SUV near the main entrance, when a man jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off.

The pair was left at the curb.

Chilliwack resident Theresia Reid was at the ER waiting to be seen for a relatively minor complaint at about 6 p.m. She told The Progress she now thinks she saw the suspect before the incident happened.

“While I was waiting at the triage a real sketchy looking guy in a black puffy jacket and hoodie came in,” Reid recounted. “A couple of us in the waiting room commented that he looked a little off because no one could really see his face the way he was walking.”

Then the guy in the black jacket left.

“A few minutes later this poor old guy comes running into the ER,” Reid said.

He sounded very mad, she said. He asked for the police to be called because someone just stole his car.

“There was a lot going on at the time,” Reid said, but she noticed a couple of Mounties who were attending, with paramedics near where the ambulances are parked at the rear of the hospital.

One of the security guards, with an RCMP officer, came outside to speak to the couple who were waiting outside.

“It was a bit of a crazy night in the ER, so I certainly feel for the nurses and security who work there,” Reid added.

RCMP did not have any details to release about the incident at press time. Stay tuned at www.theprogress.com as more on this story becomes available.